Bree Christmas Buskers raise £100 for Friends of Chernobyl's Children

Bree Christmas Buskers raise £100 for Friends of Chernobyl's Children

Wed, 19 Dec 2007

Students and tutors from the Manx youth music group, Bree, gathered in Strand Shopping Centre, Douglas for a Christmas busking session last weekend (08/12/07). They raised £100 for the local charity, Friends of Chernobyl's Children, by playing Manx folk tunes and by singing well-known carols in Manx Gaelic. Norman Rivers from FOCC was delighted to receive the cheque and said that the donation would make a significant difference to helping bring Belarussian children over to the Isle of Man during the summer holidays. Organised by Dr. Chloe Woolley (Manx Music Specialist) and Dr. Breesha Maddrell (Manx Music Development Officer) from the Manx Heritage Foundation, Bree is a collective for 10-18 year olds interested in performing Manx music and dance. The group currently includes students from all of the Island's secondary schools. A weekend of workshops is held each year in conjunction with Douglas Youth Centre, where students receive lessons in Manx music, dance and Gaelic from local experts. The group also meet informally once a month to play Manx folk tunes at a Saturday afternoon session. The session features Manx musicians, young and old, and the public are welcome to come along and listen. For more information on the Bree workshops and sessions, contact Chloe on 695787.

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